Local show features faith in York's community

A new local cable television show is spreading the good news about the faith community in York.

The new "Faith in Community" show is on the air at White Rose Community Television on Comcast Channel 18.

The show's purpose is to highlight community-building activities and projects being done by local faith-based organizations, said the Rev. Kate Bortner, an associate minister at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of York.

"It's really important for us to get the word out that there are good things happening in our community," she said. "If (the episodes) catch your interests, your passions, then you can get involved and be a volunteer."

About faith: Bortner helped develop the television program that began airing in March and serves as one of its hosts.

The Faith in Community 30-minute episodes will reach 100,000 households, run multiple times, and the cost for creating the program is $250 or less, depending on resources, according to Angela Anderson, the marketing and promotions manager in the city's economic and community development department.

Small faith groups can film short segments to be compiled into a longer episode that would feature several organizations and projects, she said in a statement.

York 'blessed': Program costs are covered by donations from local faith-based organizations and the public, said Steve Busch, director of regional partnerships with White Rose Community TV.

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"York County is blessed to have people with different faiths, people who get involved in different works to (benefit) the community," he said. "We're still working to get people for the episodes. We're just asking the faith community to get involved."

Work on the "Faith in Community" program began early this year, as Bortner said she was asked in January to host the show by Anderson and Busch.

'Good stuff': The first episode aired in March, focusing on York City-based St. Paul's Lutheran Church, which runs tutoring programs for schoolchildren and needs volunteers.

The second episode aired in April, featuring Healthy World Cafe, a city restaurant that offers locally sourced food at a pay-what-you-can price.

Additional episodes are being filmed, Bortner said.

"There are so many good things going on, so many quiet heroes working to build safe, healthy, better-educated and better-connected neighbors and neighborhoods," Bortner said. "This show is one of the ways we're getting the news out, the good news out. This is the good stuff."